Louise Halfe—Sky Dancer—is an Elder and advisor on Indigenous traditions at the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre at USask. (Photo: Submitted)

Elder and USask Indigenous advisor attends Governor General’s state visit

Elder Louise Bernice Halfe – Sky Dancer, Canada’s Parliamentary Poet Laureate and a highly renowned University of Saskatchewan (USask) advisor, is part of the Governor General of Canada’s delegation attending a state visit in Germany.

Halfe is travelling as part of an entourage with Governor General Mary May Simon in Canada’s first state visit to Germany since 2001. 

The trip includes stopovers in both Berlin and Frankfurt, where Simon will represent Canada at the 2021 Frankfurt Book Fair, which is featuring Canada as the guest of honour this year.

“Canada and Germany have long been allies and friends. A state visit highlights our shared values and strong ties, and also helps support Canadian industries that have been hard hit during this pandemic,” Rideau Hall said in a statement.

Read more: Arctic exploration, reconciliation on the agenda as Governor General Mary May Simon starts state visit to Germany.

Appointed as Parliamentary Poet Laureate in 2021, Halfe’s duties include writing compositions for special occasions, sponsoring readings, advising the Parliamentary Librarian and performing related duties at the request of the Speaker of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Halfe is the ninth poet to hold the position and the first to hail from an Indigenous community. Read more on Halfe’s appointment as Parliamentary Poet Laureate.